Hemp-brake.



No. 878,702. PATENTED FEB. 11, 1908.

G. E. WORTH. HEMP BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12.1907

2 SHBETS-SHEBT 1.

ran: nouns rzns'ns co., vrasmrycmu, u.,c.

No. 878,702. PATENTED FEB. 11, 1908.

G. E. WORTH.

HEMP BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12. 1907.

2 8HEETS-SHEET 2.

Tu: NORRIS rsnr'Rs co., vusmmzrou, n. c.

GEORGE EDWARD WORTH, OF BARNARD, NEW YORK.

HEMP-BRAKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11, 1908.

Application filed June 12. 1907- Serial No. 378.627.

T 0 all whom it may concern: 4

Be it known that I, GEORGE EDWARD WORTH, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Barnard, Monroe county, State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Hemp-Brakes, of which thefollowing is a specification.-

The present invention relates to improvements for treating fibrousplants, such as hemp, to separate the desired fiber from the woody andundesirable material in which it is embedded and will be described inthe accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away of a machineconstructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a frontelevation partly in section; Fig. 3 is a plan; Fig. 4 is a detail.

Referring to the drawings, the machine is supportediupon a vehicle bodyhaving carrying or supporting wheels 1 and comprises a feed table 2, aplurality of rollers 3, adapted to support the stalks or plants and feedthe same through the machine, a series of breaker teeth 4 arranged toreciprocate to and from the rollers 3, and a seriesof beaters 5,together with means for properly operating said parts to break andremove the woodlike core or substance connecting the fibers of theplants passing't'hrough the machine from said fibers and prepare thelatter for use. i i

The rollers 3 are arranged close together horizontally and extend acrossthe machine forming a bed for the material to be treated, each rollbeing mounted in suitable bearings and provided at one end with a pinion6. The roll pinions each engage or mesh with one of a series of pinions7 j ournaled on one of the sides of the machine frame and one of saidpinions 7 is carried by a shaft which is geared to a counter shaftthrough pinions 8, 9. A gear 10 on said counter shaft engages a pinion11, on the main driving shaft 12 which is provided at one end with adriving pulley 13 to which power can be applied from any suitablesource. By this means the rollers 3 will be similarly rotated as thedriving shaft turns and operates to feed the material through themachine and beneath the breaker teeth 4 and beaters 5 onto the deliverytable 14.

The breaker teeth are carried by a frame comprising two slides 15mounted between guides 16, rising from the supporting frame. Each ofsaid teeth is formed by a bar extending from one of said slides 15 tothe other, parallel to the rollers 3, and having its lower edge reducedor beveled to provide a thin edge 17, said teeth being so arranged thatthe lower beveled end of each is adapted to pass between adjacentrollers 3 when said teeth are in their lowest position. The

breaker teeth are reciprocated to and from the rollers 3 by linksconnecting a shaft 18 journaled in bearings on said slides 15, with astud on one face of the pulley 13 and a similar stud on a pulley 19mounted at the opposite end of the power shaft 12. Said links areadjustable in length to vary the expreferably comprising two members 20,21, having their adjacent ends oppositely threaded and connected by asuitable coupling 22.

The breaker teeth 4 are connected with the slides 15 through bracketscomprising bars 23, extending across the series'of teeth, and arms 24connecting said bars with the slides.

The series of beaters 5 are carried by a rock shaft 25 mounted insuitable bearings on one of the sides of the frame ofthe machine andextending transversely of the axes of the rolls 3, said rock shaft beingconnected with a shaft 26. The latter shaft is provided at one end witha bevel. gear 27 with which meshes a corresponding gear 28 on the shaft.

of the last roller 3 of the series, said roller shaft having at itsopposite end a pulley 29 which is connected by a belt 30 with the .pul-'ley 19 on the main driving shaft 12. The beater carrying shaft 25 may beconnected with the shaft 26 by any suitable means whereby said shaft 25will be rocked as the shaft 26 rotates. In the embodiment of theinvention illustrated the beater shaft is provided at one end with acrank 31 which is connected with a similar crank 32 of the shaft 26 by arod or link 33.

Each of the beaters consists of a flat platelike bar of such length asto extend across the surface of the rollers 3 between the side frames orguides 34, and an angle arm 35 bolted to the body of the beater andconnected with the rock shaft 25. The plates constituting the bodies ofthe heaters are of such width that each extends over-two of'the rolls 3and the space between said rolls and is so arranged and mounted thateach is moved tent of movement of the breaker teeth, each bodilyvertically to and from the rolls and is parallel therewith when in itslowest position. This construction provides an extended beater surfacewith a minimum number of parts.

In its passage to and through the machine the material is guided by theside flanges or guard plates 34, above referred. to, and a hood orshield. 36 is provided at the inner end of the feed table 2.

The manner of operating the mechanism hereinbefore described will bereadily under stood. The stalks of fibrous material are introducedbeneath the hood 36 and drawn beneath the breaker teeth 4 by the actionof the feed rolls 3 and said breaker teeth are reciprocated to and fromthe rollers to break or crush the undesirable material connecting thefibers which. it is desired to separate. By the action of said rolls 3the material is carried beyond the breaker teeth and beneath the flatbeaters 5 which operate to free the fibers from the material broken bythe teeth 4 so that the fibers discharged on the delivery table 14 areseparated from the core or wood of the stalk. The rollers 3 are sospaced that the fine particles of undesirable material separated fromthe fiber by the action of the teeth 4 and beaters 5 may pass throughand fall beneath the machine so that the fiber delivered onto the table14 will not only be groperly separated but will also be cleaned. '7 ymounting the machine in the manner described it may be readily movedfrom place to place.

Having described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters-Patent is,

1. In a machine for treating fibrous plants, the combination of a seriesof feed rollers, arranged horizontally and close together,

' means for rotating said rollers, a series of breaker teeth arrangedabove and extending parallel to a portion of said rollers, the loweredge of each of said teeth being adapted to extend into the spacebetween the upper surfaces of adjacent rollers when. in its lowestposition, means for reciprocating said teeth to and from the rollers,and a plurality of beaters arranged to operate upon the material afterit is moved from beneath said teeth by the feed rollers.

2. In a machine for treating fibrous plants, the combination of a seriesof horizontally arranged feed rollers, means for rotating Said rollers,a breaker comprising two slides ,mounted upon guides arranged onopposite sides of the series of rollers, and a plurality of cross-barsconnecting said slides and arranged to extend into the spaces separatingthe rollers beneath them, means for reciprocating the breaker to andfrom the rollers,

and a series of beaters movable to and from the rollers beyond thebreaker.

3. In a machine for treating fibrous plants, the combination of a seriesof horizontally arranged feed rollers, means for rotating said rollers,a breaker movable toward and from the rollers adjacent one end of theseries, and a plurality of beaters adapted to be moved toward and fromthe rollers beyond the breaker, each of said beaters including a plateor bar adapted to extend over two adjacent rollers and the intermediatespace.

4. In a machine for treating fibrous plants, the combination of a seriesof horizontally arranged feed rollers, means for rotating said rollers,a breaker, means for conveying the material away from between said feedrollers and breaker, a beater comprising a flat plate or bar extendingthroughout the width of said conveying means, and means forautomatically moving said plate toward and from the conveyer.

5. In a machine for treating fibrous plants, the combination of a seriesof horizontally arrangedfeed rollers, means for rotating said rollers, abreaker arranged above and movable to and from said rollers, a conveyerfor removing material from between the breaker and its cooperatingrollers, a rock shaft mounted at one side of said conveyer, a pluralityof beaters connected with said shaft and extending throughout the widthof the conveyer, and means for rocking said shaft connected with thedevices for reciprocating the breaker.

6. In a machine for treating fibrous plants, the combination of a seriesof horizontally arranged feed rollers, a pinion at one end of each ofsaid rollers, a series of supplemental pinions each meshing with one ofthe feed roller pinions, a driving shaft, gearing connecting saiddriving shaft with one of said supplemental pinions, a pair of slidesarranged at opposite ends of said feed rollers, a plurality of breakerteeth connected to said slides and each adapted to enter the spacebetween two of said rollers when in its lowest position, rods connectingsaid slides with the driving shaft, whereby said breaker teeth will bereciprocated as the feed rollers are turned, a plurality of beatersarranged beyond said breaker teeth, and each extending parallel to the.feed rollers beneath it, and means for moving the beaters to and fromsaid rollers, said means being connected with the aforesaid drivingshaft.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE EDWARD IVORTHL Witnesses:

HARRY B. REED, RICHARD L. SAUNDERS.

